Matt Thistlethwaite (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Sport, Senator Lundy. With the Gillard government's release of the Australia in the Asian Century white paper, could the minister please inform the Senate of the role sport plays in building and strengthening economic and trade ties in Asia?

Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Thistlethwaite as I know he too is an avid lover of all sports and understands the power that it brings to strengthen our economic and trade ties with our Asian neighbours. The Gillard government's release of the Asian century white paper provides the opportunity to highlight the power of sport to bridge both language and cultural barriers and serve as a platform to serve our economic and trade relationships well.

Sport is a major contributor to the Australian economy, as I am sure most senators in this place are aware, and this will continue to grow, particularly as we move towards 2015 when Australia will host the Asian Football Cup and the Cricket World Cup. With a combined viewership of close to four billion people, the Asian Football Cup and Cricket World Cup will provide an amazing opportunity to showcase Australia. During the period of time when those events are on, it is expected that over 3,500 journalists will be here. They will travel to Australia, stay here for up to a month to cover these sports and produce many profiles of Australia and the cities that are hosting games across those two international events. I am sure they will give us great coverage in our region.

With seven out of our top 10 trading partners represented in the Asian Football Cup, this is a unique opportunity to make strong connections through sport and open doors to new markets, so there will be plenty of business going on during that event as well. Many sections of our economy stand to benefit from growing our sporting engagement with Asia and I am confident that these opportunities will help drive a new wave of growth, both in employment and prosperity, as we progress through the Asian century.

Matt Thistlethwaite (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister inform the Senate of any current programs that are strengthening ties with Asia through sport and aid?

Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Thistlethwaite for the supplementary question. I refer to one particular example: through the Australian Sports Outreach Program, the Gillard government is providing $5 million over five years to three sports—Netball Australia, Surf Life Saving Australia and the Football Federation of Australia—to provide support, including technical support, to seven Indian agencies to develop deeper people-to-people links through sport. In particular, on a visit that I made not so long ago to India—to New Delhi—I was fortunate enough to visit the Magic Bus Foundation and Naz' partners in May. Through a simple netball game being played with disadvantaged young women, you could really see the potential of sport. Netball was the platform for learning, not just the motor skills and the rules of the game, but indeed for building self-esteem, for motivation— (Time expired)

Matt Thistlethwaite (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister advise how important the role of sport tourism is in promoting future ties with Asia?

Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our tourism industry is one of the major beneficiaries of the increasing prominence of Australian sport in Asia. For example, the pre-event benefits report prepared for the Cricket World Cup has estimated that there would be more than 1.4 million international bed nights, with a large number of those visitors coming from Asia.

In addition, Tennis Australia has just concluded their trophy tour through Asia, promoting the Australian Open as the Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific region. In terms of visitors from Asia over the next decade, Tennis Australia expects the percentage of total gate entries to grow by 37 per cent, a phenomenal result that I am confident they will achieve. Tourism and sport are already closely related, and as Australian sport continues to grow within Asia I have no doubt that this will continue to be a strong and emerging market.